Closing panel for the Māori public hearing

The panel was made up of five representatives who spoke from different lived experiences. Some are survivors, and others have worked with survivors and in the State care system.  Panellists listened to all evidence shared by witnesses across the two-week hearing. They provided context to the lived experiences shared by survivors.  Panellists explored what a transformed State care system could look like for Māori.

Paora Moyle (Ngāti Porou) is a survivor of both State and faith-based abuse and had 30 years’ experience as a social worker. She was a lead claimant in the Waitangi Tribunal Oranga Tamariki inquiry. At the time of the hearing she was studying towards a doctorate in child trauma and State care. Over many years, Paora used her lived experience to support other survivor whānau. She was one of the authors of the 2021 Hāhā-uri, hāhā-tea – Māori Involvement in State Care 1950-1999 report.

Tupua Urlich (Ngāti Kahungunu ki Heretaunga) is a survivor, who was in State care from the age of five to 15. He used his experience of the State care system to advocate for change, so rangatahi today do not have to experience what he did.

Gary Williams MNZM For more than 40 years, Gary had been influential in driving change for disabled people and Māori. He is a proud trustee of Ngā Hau e Whā National Marae in Ōtautahi, and other NGOs. Gary was a member of the Royal Commission’s Survivor Advisory Group of Experts.

Hera Clarke (Te Aupōuri, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Porou) has an extensive background as a social worker and counsellor. She had experience in senior management with Ministry of Social Development, Oranga Tamariki and its predecessor Child Youth and Family. Hera led family and sexual violence programmes and had been a social work lecturer at Unitech teaching family systems and te Tiriti o Waitangi. She had held senior roles in the Anglican Church.

Denise Messiter is from Ngāti Pūkenga ki Waiau. She has a background in Māori and indigenous peoples development and had worked alongside indigenous communities in South Africa and Australia to implement social and economic solutions that seek to reclaim their independence.  At the time of the hearing Denise was the general manager of Te Whāriki Mana Wāhine o Hauraki, supporting whānau who have lived experience of mahi tūkino - or domestic and sexual violence, and abuse in care - to design their healing pathways using tāngata whenua approaches that focus on restoring mana. Denise has a background in counselling with a focus on sexual violence.

Facilitator – Professor Tracey McIntosh MNZM (Ngāi Tūhoe) at the time of the hearing was a Professor of Indigenous Studies and Co-Head of Te Wānanga o Waipapa at the University of Auckland.  She had worked many years with incarcerated whānau, particularly with wāhine Māori, with a focus on addressing issues of poverty, inequality and social justice. She recognised the significance of working with those that have lived experiences of incarceration and marginalisation and acknowledged them as experts of their own condition. Tracey was the Chief Science Advisor to the Ministry of Social Development and was a Commissioner at the Criminal Cases Review Commission at the time of the hearing. She had previously taught in the sociology and criminology programme at the University of Auckland.